Performance Tasks to Support High School Science

Performance Task Title: Quick Find Bookmarks Is ignorance bliss? 1. Overview Essential Question: 2. Teacher Directions What are the moral and/or ethical implications of 3. Student Directions knowledge? 4. Materials for Students a. Stimulus Set of Texts Task Rationale b. Support Scaffolds, such as note- This performance task serves to re-introduce students to taking templates the scientific method as well as to dispel the c. Research Responses misconception that it is a linear, stepwise process. 5. Materials for Teachers Students are asked to determine how knowledge is a. Materials for Entry Event gained and how we decide what to do with that b. Scoring Rubrics knowledge. The goals of this assignment are to: 1) c. Standards and Task knowledge must be acquired through one’s own Specifications personal critique and evaluation, 2) allow students to 6. Appendix: Print-friendly Texts, see that scientific advancement is anything but a linear Notes and Scaffolds process, and 3) have students evaluate the benefits vs. harmful applications of acquired knowledge and how they would affect society.

Overview

Task Overview Students will first determine how they know what they know and what led them to acquiring their current knowledge. The first part of the process includes an investigation into the scientific method and the development of current atomic theory. The second part requires students to analyze materials demonstrating the pros and cons of nuclear chemistry including nuclear power, nuclear warfare, and nuclear medicine. Students will then choose one of the scientists that developed atomic theory and write a postmortem blog post (or essay) taking a stance on whether the scientist would approve of the advances in nuclear chemistry that have resulted from their contributions to atomic theory.

Additional Essential Questions: Course Content: Use with How do we know what we know? All sciences: scientific method/inquiry How was atomic theory modified over time? Chemistry: atomic theory and nuclear Given the advances (good and bad) that chemistry have occurred after each shift in the atomic American History: effects of nuclear war on model, is society better for having this society knowledge? Philosophy: epistemology

Entry Event Classroom Activity Scorable Products Students will work in small groups to discuss how we Part 1: Research Outline (2 parts) acquire knowledge. They will read an excerpt from Part 2: Blog post/essay Siddhartha, watch a short video (~3 min) about epistemology, and review some diagrams. They will answer some questions in their group to try to explain the process.

Aligned to and Performance Tasks to Support High School Science

Student Task: Part 1 (70 min) Student Task: Part 2 (50 min) 1. (20 min) Review the scientific method using Students write the blog post with the help of their a TED Talk about why we should trust outline using appropriate terms, grammar, and scientists conventions. 2. (20 min) Research the development of atomic theory 3. (10 min) Research advances in nuclear chemistry 4. (20 min) Students will complete an outline for their position, including which scientist they are writing as, their argument, and the evidence they intend to use.

Teacher Directions

Entry Event Classroom Activity (20 min)

1. Read, post, project, or distribute one (or all) of the quotes (acquired from BrainyQuotes) and ask them to quietly reflect on their meaning and implications. 2. After a moment of reflection invite students to share if they agree or disagree with the quote(s). 3. Distribute the excerpt from Siddhartha and either project or provide the link or technology for students to view the YouTube video about epistemology. 4. After reviewing the materials (~10 min), have students attempt to answer the question in small groups: How do we acquire knowledge? Students can go around their group taking one minute each to provide their answer while the other group members listen. They can then take an additional minute or two to discuss their responses and come up with a group explanation to share with the class. 5. Invite the groups to share their ideas with the class if time permits. Emphasize that knowledge is acquired through a variety of means and as more knowledge is acquired it can cause us to modify or adapt what we know. 6. Distribute or project the diagrams provided of the scientific method, etc. Ask students to look for similarities and differences between the diagrams. Be sure to emphasize that, except for the 6-step list, they all involve repeating some steps or parts and that these are not really linear processes. 7. After sharing, distribute or project the cartoon about the public’s perception of science to emphasize that acquiring knowledge is a convoluted process.

Part 1 (70 min) Students should receive the sources, directions, questions, report assignment, and any other material related to the task. They should receive the constructed-response questions in Part 1 and the blogging assignment in Part 2. Part 1 would probably be broken up into the research portion on the first day and the outlining/organizing portion on the next day.

Part 1a (Atomic Theory research session, 40 min) 1. Initiate the research session. 2. Pass out the note-taking guide, reminding the students that its use is optional and unscored. 3. Project or provide the link or technology for students to view the TED Talk: “Why we should believe in science” (20 min) 4. Alert the students when there are 15 minutes remaining in this part of the research session. 5. Alert the students when there are 5 minutes remaining in this part of the research session.

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Part 1b (Nuclear Chemistry research session, 10 min)

6. Have students move to the second part of the research session 7. Alert the students when there are 5 minutes remaining in class. 8. Have students write their names on any notes. Collect all student notes. 9. Close the research session.

Part 1c (planning session, 20 min)

10. Distribute the outlines and return the student note-taking guides from the previous day, if applicable. 11. Allow students to access the sources and their note-taking guides to complete their outline. Remind students when they have 5 min left to plan. Students should be prepared to access only their notes and outline for Part 2.

Part 2 (50 min) 1. Initiate the performance task Part 2. 2. Allow students to access their notes and their outline from Part 1. Distribute the blog post guidelines and allow students a few minutes to review the requirements. 3. Once 5 minutes have elapsed, suggest students begin writing their post. 4. Alert the students when 30 minutes remain. 5. Alert students when 15 minutes remain and suggest they begin revising their posts. 6. Close the testing session.

Aligned to and Performance Tasks to Support High School Science

Is Ignorance Bliss? --- Student Directions Part 1

Your Assignment How is scientific knowledge acquired? What are the implications of that knowledge which has been gained? You will investigate how our knowledge about atomic structure has evolved over time and how scientific advancements as a result of understanding the atom have affected society. You will analyze the pros and cons of these advancements and take a stance on whether knowledge about atomic structure has been more of a benefit to society or caused more of a threat or harm.

Your Task You will assume the identity of one of the major atomic theory scientists (even if they are dead) and write a blog post expressing their opinion regarding how society has used its current knowledge about atoms.

Steps to Follow In order to plan and compose your report, you will do all of the following: 1. Review and evaluate the sources provided on the pros and cons of your topic. 2. Make notes about the information from the sources. You have been provided with and are encouraged to use a note-taking guide that will help you gather and process your findings. 3. Answer the questions about the sources.

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Research Outline (Scored Product) After you have reviewed the sources, answer the questions below. Your answers to these questions will be scored. Also, they will help you think about the sources you have read and viewed, which should help you write your report. Answer the questions in the spaces provided below each question.

Part 1a

A. How was atomic theory modified over time? Describe how our “picture” of the atom changed as new discoveries were made.

B. Which contributor to atomic theory do you find the most interesting and why. (You MUST choose!)

Part 1b C. From the sources you have reviewed, summarize 3 major arguments that support and 3 major arguments that oppose society has used its knowledge of atomic structure wisely. For each of the arguments, cite at least one source that supports that point of view.

Argument / Fact in Favor of society’s wise use Source Supporting This Argument of atomic theory/nuclear chemistry 1.

2.

3.

Argument / Fact in Opposition to society’s wise Source Supporting This Argument use of atomic theory/nuclear chemistry 1.

2.

3.

D. Evaluate the credibility of the arguments and evidence presented by these sources. Which of the sources are more trustworthy and why? Which of the sources warrant some skepticism because of bias or insufficient evidence?

Aligned to and Performance Tasks to Support High School Science

Is Ignorance Bliss? --- Student Directions Part 2 Your Assignment Writing as if you are the scientist (and assuming that he/she is aware of the future implications of atomic theory) that you indicated in Part 1 , compose a blog post to tell the world how you feel about society’s use of its knowledge about atomic structure. You should indicate your credentials to give people a reason to even pay attention to what you have to say as well as use the applications of atomic theory (advances in nuclear chemistry) to support your argument. Support your claim with evidence from the sources you have read and viewed. You do not need to use all the sources, only the ones that most effectively and credibly support your position and your consideration of the opposing point of view.

Response Guidelines Your report will be scored on the following criteria:

1. Statement of purpose / focus and organization: How well did you establish your credentials on the subject of atomic theory? How well did you clearly state your claim on the topic, maintain your focus, and address the alternate and opposing claims? How well did your ideas logically flow from the introduction to conclusion using effective transitions? How well did you stay on topic throughout the report? 2. Elaboration of evidence: How well did you elaborate your arguments and discussion of counterarguments, citing evidence from your sources? How well did you effectively express ideas using precise language and vocabulary that were appropriate for the audience and purpose of your report? 3. Conventions: How well did you follow the rules of usage, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling? Can you follow conventions specific to blogging? (Read them below.)

You will be submitting your post to a multi-contributor blog, ______, therefore you need to abide by certain conventions in addition to normal writing conventions (grammar, spelling, punctuation). Your post should be organized, use only one standard font (i.e. NOT Comic Sans), conform to the color scheme of the blog (if applicable), and be concise and easy to read while delivering an informed message.

Blogging Tips: • Word count: Blog posts should be about 300-500 words. If it’s longer, that can be okay if it includes subheads or bulleted lists and is really compelling. But generally, 300-500 words will be gracious plenty. Audience: The audience for this blog includes the “general public.” Imagine you’re sharing a story with your neighbor or a relative whose primary experience with science was being in high school way back when. That doesn’t mean dumb it down – just keep it relevant. Voice: Good blog writing has a distinct voice or personality to it. Posts shouldn’t read like academic papers. Think of it more as sharing your story and inviting readers into your world. Use data and references to other sources as appropriate, but don’t get lost in “report writing” style. Follow basic spelling and grammar guidelines! Headline: When writing a headline for a blog post, there are two schools of thought: 1) write something clever and catchy that makes readers curious enough to click, or 2) write something straightforward that makes search engines find your post based on key words readers are likely to be searching for. Subheads and lists: Use subheads or bulleted/numbered lists to help break up the content and make it easier for readers to digest. Hyperlinks: Build hyperlinks into your post to give readers additional depth in areas of interest. You might even want to link some of your sources of evidence. Image: Including an image(s) can add both substance and interest to your post. The image can be specific or more illustrative, but make sure you cite your source by at least including the link to the original image. Adapted from NC New Schools Blog Tips 7.8.2013 http://ncnewschools.org/blog/

Aligned to and Performance Tasks to Support High School Science

To Begin Work:

Manage your time (50 minutes total) carefully so that you can: • plan your post • write your post • revise and edit for a final draft, meeting the guidelines for your blog post

Word-processing tools and spell check are available to you. Type your response in the space provided. Write as much as you need to fulfill the requirements of the task; you are not limited by the size of the response area on the screen. You may use the space below for planning your post.

Aligned to and Performance Tasks to Support High School Science

Materials for Students Materials for Entry Event/Class Discussion Source Find at: Important to Know Engage Sources The excerpt is found in the student resource Siddhartha, by section. The point of the excerpt is that Siddhartha Excerpt below Herman Hesse is discussing with his best friend, Govinda, the basis of knowledge and truth. Epistemology: How https://www.youtube.com/wa Introduces a fancy vocabulary word and the idea we gain knowledge tch?v=7bwoVEYEdok concerning HOW we know things. C and contrast various methods of receiving and conveying knowledge including two versions of the https://docs.google.com/draw scientific method, the reflection process, the Knowledge ings/d/1ceHwYLaEFh3eZRd2 writing process, and the engineering design Comparison Poster NZo6xWXBRwJxWQmWpJ5eyE process. The original images are hyperlinked sLQNE/edit?usp=sharing within the drawing itself if you would like to see them separately. https://docs.google.com/draw Public Perception of ings/d/1hdpbsBpv6FY8GKM Science is not easy. Science Cartoon M8fLA6cwrBayyWVYIKhEzTCY uMKQ/edit?usp=sharing

Aligned to and Performance Tasks to Support High School Science

Stimulus Set of Texts Source Find at: Important to Know PART 1a Sources This TED talk provides a great basis for how http://www.ted.com/talks/na scientific knowledge is actually acquired including Naomi Oreskes TED omi_oreskes_why_we_should deductive reasoning, observation, modeling, and Talk: Why we should _believe_in_science/transcrip validation by the scientific community. The link believe in science t here is to the page where the transcript can also be found if you’d prefer to read it. http://wsc11sci.wikispaces.co A visual timeline that summarizes the textbook History of the atom m/file/view/atom_history.png reading (below). This timeline does a nice job of timeline /297878088/640x480/atom showing how the different scientists’ contributions _history.png also allowed our model of the atom to evolve. Intermediate Chemistry Textbook section that http://www.ck12.org/book/C Further explains issues with John Dalton’s Theory and how K-12-Chemistry-Second- Understanding of the later scientists further developed our current Edition/r9/section/4.2/ Atom theory. Skim this text, but go back and read closely

about the scientist you find most interesting. Part 1b Sources

https://docs.google.com/draw A diagram that very briefly explains how atoms Nuclear Power ings/d/1mEY2g6tJzgAQ_ruP6 release nuclear energy and how that energy is Overview Diagram VygpZiHhBdRpf4voEK3LjtZbm converted to generate electricity. Original images U/edit?usp=sharing are hyperlinked in the drawing. “Why Use Nuclear http://www.nucleartourist.co Article describing the benefits of nuclear power. Power?” m/basics/reasons1.htm Skim this text looking for the main reasons. Disasters and http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pag Graph showing death tolls related to historic Deathtolls related to es/frontline/shows/reaction/ disasters as well as occupational fatalities in the Nuclear Power maps/chart1.html U.S. Greenpeace.org http://www.greenpeace.org/in article about ternational/en/news/Blogs/n Gil Scott-Heron wrote this song about the partial Gil Scott-Heron’s song uclear-reaction/gil-scott- meltdown of the Fermi 1 nuclear reactor near “We Almost Lost herons-anti-nuclear-song- Detroit in 1966. Detroit” speaks-to-/blog/50023/ Briefly describes the history of the development of http://i1.wp.com/www.infogra Infographic: How the nuclear weapons and their distribution in the phicpins.com/infographics/ho nuclear weapons era world. This is used to give students some w-nuclear-weapons-era- began knowledge about an ill effect of understanding the began.jpg atom. This ad aired shortly after the Cuban Missile Crisis, Lyndon Johnson https://www.youtube.com/wa so it was appealing to American’s fear of nuclear Campaign Ad tch?v=dDTBnsqxZ3k war in order to promote LBJ. http://www.snmmi.org/About An explanation of the general principles of nuclear “What is Nuclear SNMMI/Content.aspx?ItemNu medicine to give students a beneficial outcome of Medicine?” mber=6433 understanding nuclear chemistry.

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Note-taking Guide or Graphic Organizer (Not Scored)

Part 1a Student Note-taking Guide After watching the TED Talk, list 3 reasons that we should believe what scientists tell us and one fact:

Reason 1:

Reason 2:

Reason 3:

Interesting fact:

Choose one to three words to associate with each of the atomic theory scientists. It can be a piece of biographical information, what they discovered, their experiment, what they disproved, or how they were mistaken. The point is that this word or short phrase helps you remember what they did.

Scientist Catch Phrase John Dalton

J.J. Thomson

Ernest Rutherford

Neils Bohr

Part 1b Student Note-taking Guide

Research Source Published By Argument for Argument Against How reliable is society’s wise use society’s wise use evidence from this of atomic theory of atomic theory source?

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Materials for Teachers Entry Event/ Classroom Activity

Introduction/Quotations (5 min) 1. Share one or all of the quotations with the students Collaborative Group Work (10 min) 2. Give each group access to the excerpt from Siddhartha, video on epistemology, and diagrams comparing cycles of knowledge. 3. Rotate through the groups and monitor their responses to the questions. Closing (5 min) 4. Show students the cartoon comparing the public perception of science to reality. 5. Be sure to emphasize that knowledge gathering requires many inputs, personal critique, and that it evolves over time as new knowledge is gained. It might be useful to point out a few of the pitfalls of scientific research shown in the reality portion of the cartoon.

Materials for Entry Event

Stimulus 1: Quotations Allow students to reflect on the quotes and poll the class to see how many people agree or disagree with each quote. Invite students to elaborate on their stance, if time permits. Initial Quotations (source, Brainyquote.com): Knowledge is power. ~Francis Bacon I wish I had known that education is the key. That knowledge is power. Now I pick up books and watch educational shows with my husband. I'm seeing how knowledge can elevate you. ~Mary J. Blige Is there anything science should not try to explain? Science is knowledge and knowledge is power: power to do good or evil. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. ~Paul Davies

Stimulus 2: Siddhartha excerpt Students should summarize Siddhartha’s view of knowledge based on the excerpt

Hesse, Herman. Siddhartha. p.142-143, Copyright 1951. Published by Bantam Books. New York, NY. 1971.

Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, be fortified by it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it. I suspected this when I was still a youth and it was this that drove me away from teachers. There is one thought I have had, Govinda, which you will again think is a jest or folly: that is, in every truth the opposite is equally true. For example, a truth can only be expressed and enveloped in words if it is one-sided. Everything that is thought and expresses in words is one-sided, only half the truth, it all lacks totality, completeness, unity. When the Illustrious Buddha taught about the world, they had to divide it into Samsara and Nirvana, into illusion and truth, into suffering and salvation. One cannot do otherwise, there is no other method for those who teach. But the world itself, being in and around us, is never one-sided. Never is a man or a deed wholly Samsara or wholly Nirvana. Never is a man wholly a saint or a sinner. This only seems so because we suffer the illusion that times is something real. Time is not real, Govinda. I have realized this repeatedly. And if time is not real, then the dividing line that seems to lie between this world and eternity, between suffering and bliss, between good and evil, is also an illusion.

Stimulus 3: Epistemology Video Students should learn from the video that knowledge is acquired through a variety of ways

Aligned to and Performance Tasks to Support High School Science

Stimulus 4: Knowledge diagrams Students should see that the diagrams are for different processes but they are all fairly similar and all but one of them have cyclical components that show that once you learn something new, it can change your thinking and you modify your knowledge

Stimulus 5: Perception of science cartoon (next page) Again, this cartoon is for emphasis and closure, but it is extremely accurate as well.

Aligned to and Performance Tasks to Support High School Science

Aligned to and Performance Tasks to Support High School Science

Rubrics for Research Outline

Part 1a 2 Point Rubric Using Evidence (CCSS RI.7, RI.8, W.7, W.9) The response gives sufficient evidence of the student’s ability to cite evidence to support 2 arguments and/or ideas.

The response gives limited evidence of the student’s ability to cite evidence to support 1 arguments and/or ideas.

The response receives no credit if it provides no evidence of the student’s ability to cite 0 evidence to support arguments and/or ideas.

Adapted from Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium Grade 11 Performance Task, http://www.smarterbalanced.org/wordpress/wp- content/uploads/2012/09/performance-tasks/nuclear.pdf

Part 1b 2 Point Rubric Using Evidence (CCSS RI.7, RI.8, W.7, W.9) The response gives sufficient evidence of the student’s ability to cite evidence to support 2 arguments and/or ideas.

The response gives limited evidence of the student’s ability to cite evidence to support 1 arguments and/or ideas.

The response receives no credit if it provides no evidence of the student’s ability to cite 0 evidence to support arguments and/or ideas.

Adapted from Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium Grade 11 Performance Task, http://www.smarterbalanced.org/wordpress/wp- content/uploads/2012/09/performance-tasks/nuclear.pdf

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Rubric for Final Product

Student responses should do the following: 1. Establish their credibility as the scientist they are pretending to be (briefly explain their credentials and contribution to atomic theory). 2. Take a stance on whether the scientist would agree with how society has used its knowledge of atomic theory with respect to advancements in nuclear chemistry 3. Provide evidence for their argument using the stimuli sources provided 4. Adhere to the blog post guidelines

2- Point Argumentative Full Response Conventions 2 1 NS The response demonstrates an adequate The response demonstrates a partial command Insufficient, illegible, in a language other command of conventions: of conventions: than English, incoherent, off-topic, or off- errors in usage and sentence formation may errors in usage may obscure meaning purpose writing, and does not at all be present, but no systematic pattern of errors inconsistent use of punctuation, capitalization conform to blog guidelines is displayed and meaning is not obscured post is not visually appealing or is too wordy or adequate use of punctuation, capitalization, too short and contains little content and spelling post is visually appealing and concise

4-Point Argumentative Full Response

4 3 2 1 NS

The response is fully sustained and consistently The response is adequately The response is somewhat The response may be and purposefully focused: sustained and generally sustained and may have a related to the purpose focused: claim is clearly stated, minor drift in focus: but may provide little Insufficient, focused, and strongly claim is clear and mostly illegible, in a may be clearly focused or no focus: maintained maintained, though language other on the claim but is may be very brief alternate or opposing some loosely related than English, insufficiently sustained, may have a major claims are clearly material may be present incoherent, off- or drift addressed context provided for the topic, or off- claim on the issue may claim may be claim is introduced and claim is adequate within purpose writing

Statement of of Purpose Statement be somewhat unclear confusing or communicated clearly the purpose, audience, and/or unfocused ambiguous within the purpose, and task audience, and task

Aligned to and Performance Tasks to Support High School Science

The response has an The response has a clear evident organizational and effective organizational structure and a sense of structure creating a sense completeness, though there The response has an of unity and completeness: may be minor flaws and inconsistent organizational consistent use of a some ideas may be loosely structure, and flaws are The response has variety of transitional connected: evident: little or no discernible strategies to clarify the adequate use of inconsistent use of organizational Insufficient, relationships between transitional strategies transitional strategies structure: illegible, in a and among ideas with some variety to and/or little variety few or no language other logical progression of clarify the relationships uneven progression of transitional than English, ideas from beginning to between and among ideas from beginning to strategies are incoherent, off- end ideas end evident topic, or off- effective introduction adequate progression of conclusion and frequent purpose writing

Focus and Organization and Focus and conclusion for ideas from beginning to introduction, if present, extraneous ideas intended audience and end are weak may intrude purpose adequate introduction weak connection among strong connections and conclusion ideas among ideas, with some adequate, if slightly syntactic variety inconsistent, connection among ideas

The response provides The response provides The response provides thorough and convincing adequate uneven, cursory The response

support/evidence for the support/evidence for the support/evidence for the provides minimal writer’s claim that includes writer’s claim that includes writer’s claim that includes support/evi-dence for the effective use of the use of sources, facts, partial or uneven use of the writer’s claim that Insufficient, sources, facts, and details. and details. The response sources, facts, and details. includes little or no illegible, in a The response achieves achieves some depth and The response achieves use of sources, facts, language other substantial depth that is specificity but is than English, little depth: and details: specific and relevant: predominantly general: incoherent, off- evidence from sources is use of evidence from some evidence from Use of evidence topic, or off- weakly integrated, and sources is integrated, sources is included, from sources is purpose writing citations, if present, are comprehensive, relevant, though citations may be minimal, absent,

Evidence and Elaboration and Evidence uneven and concrete general or imprecise incorrect, or weak or uneven use of irrelevant effective use of a variety adequate use of some elaborative techniques of elaborative techniques elaborative techniques

The response’s The response clearly and The response adequately expression of ideas is The response expresses effectively expresses ideas, expresses ideas, employing vague, lacks clarity, or ideas unevenly, using Insufficient, using precise language: a mix of precise with more is confusing: simplistic language: illegible, in a use of academic and general language: uses limited language other use of domain-specific domain-specific use of domain-specific language or than English, vocabulary may at times vocabulary is clearly vocabulary is generally domain-specific incoherent, off- be inappropriate for the appropriate for the appropriate for the vocabulary topic, or off- audience and purpose purpose writing

Effect on Audience on Effect audience and purpose audience and purpose may have little

sense of audience and purpose Adapted from Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium Grade 11 Performance Task, http://www.smarterbalanced.org/wordpress/wp- content/uploads/2012/09/performance-tasks/nuclear.pdf

Aligned to and Performance Tasks to Support High School Science

Performance Task Specifications

Course/Grade Level: High school science (chemistry)

Unit/Lesson Essential Question: What are the moral/ethical implications of gaining knowledge? Related Text: Siddhartha (Herman Hesse), Chemistry textbook chapter on atomic theory

Key Common Core Standards Assessed RI.1—Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidenc e when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text RI.7—Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. RI. 8—Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence. RI.9—Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take. RI.10—Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently. ______W. 1—Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. W.4—Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. W.7—Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. W.8—Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism. W.9—Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Additional Common Core Standards Assessed o Students can produce effective and well-grounded writing for a range of purposes and audiences. o Students can employ effective speaking and listening skills for a range of purposes and audiences. o Students can engage in research/inquiry to investigate topics, and to analyze, integrate, and present information.

Key NC Essential Standards Assessed for Chemistry: Chm 1.1.1: Analyze the structure of atoms, isotopes, and ions. Chm 1.1.4: Explain the process of radioactive decay by the use of nuclear equations and half-life.

Key NC Essential Standards Assessed for American History: AH1.H.7.1 Explain the impact of wars on American politics

DOK Levels: Levels 3 and 4

30 points Total Possible Score Points: Decrease the number of sources provided to students Possible Adjustments for Provide transcripts for auditory stimuli Students with IEPs or 504s Provide student with a more detailed checklist or schedule of research tasks to complete and times associated with each

Provide students with pre and post reading questions regarding the text. Possible Adjustments for Use graphic organizers to outline response Students with LEPs Limit text set based on Lexile score/grade level

Allow students to select their own sources. Turn the PT into a PBL unit where student are forced to find and research other Possible Adjustments for examples of major scientific developments that have led to controversy Honors, AP, or IB Students Extend the PT by encouraging students to peer review each other’s blog posts Hold a class debate addressing whether our society is applying its knowledge wisely or to our own detriment

Aligned to and Performance Tasks to Support High School Science

Flesch Quantitative Kincaid Level of Text Stimuli: Grade Complexity Level Naomi Oreskes TED Talk: Why we should believe in 8.6 67 1. science 2. History of the atom timeline n/a n/a 3. Further Understanding of the Atom 10.1 55 4. Nuclear Power Overview Diagram n/a n/a 5. “Why Use Nuclear Power?” (Virtual Nuclear Tourist) 10.9 44.3 Disasters and Death tolls related to Nuclear Power n/a n/a 6. (Frontline) Greenpeace.org article about 8.4 63.7 7. Gil Scott-Heron’s song “We Almost Lost Detroit” 8. Infographic: How the nuclear weapons era began n/a n/a 9. Lyndon Johnson Campaign Ad n/a n/a 10. “What is Nuclear Medicine?” (ease 43.1, grade 9) 9 43.1

The introductory TED talk can be significantly shortened by having students watch only the Notes about stimuli… conclusion of the talk. Stimulus 3 is not provided in this document because it is assumed that the teacher will use whichever section of their chosen textbook is most appropriate.

This PT can be adapted to almost any science class and there are numerous other controversial issues in the sciences to which this can be adapted. It is designed for the beginning of a science class, so a full understanding of atomic theory and nuclear One More Thing… chemistry is NOT the focus. It is important to remember that the focus of this PT is to help students grasp that scientific research and knowledge are not linear processes, but highly convoluted and adaptable.

Aligned to and Performance Tasks to Support High School Science

Appendix Print-Friendly Versions of Student Texts / pdfs

Stimulus 2

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Stimulus 4

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Stimulus 5 Why use Nuclear Power?

Several major reasons that people working in the field still remain optimistic about nuclear power are:

the energy produced per amount of material consumed is the highest available costs are competitive with coal, the major source used in the world uranium, the source material, is abundant plutonium, a by-product of commercial nuclear plant operation, can also be used as a fuel the amount of waste produced is the least of any major energy production process nuclear energy provides benefits other than electricity generation.

Energy Production Rates

Uranium-235 is the isotope of uranium that is used in nuclear reactors. Uranium-235 can produce 3.7 million times as much energy as the same amount of coal. As an example, 7 trucks, each carrying 6 cases of 2-12 foot high fuel assemblies, can fuel a 1000 Megawatt-electrical (MWe) reactor for 1.5 years. During this period, ~ 2 metric tons of Uranium-235 (of the 100 metric tons of fuel - uranium dioxide) would be consumed. To operate a coal plant of the same output would require 1 train of 89-100 ton coal cars each EVERY day. Over 350,000 tons of ash would be produced AND over 4 million tons of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides would be released to the environment.

Energy Production Costs

The best example of cost comparison is shown by this graph provided by the Nuclear Energy Institute that compares average nuclear and coal production costs over recent years. Nuclear fuel costs are considerably less than coal. However, various capital, operating and maintenance costs for coal may be lower than nuclear. Thus, the 2 costs are comparable.

Courtesy NEI

The various components of energy generation account for the following:

Capital costs to build the plant and modifications after the plant is built Ongoing operation and maintenance costs Fuel costs US Department of Energy (US DOE) charges for ultimate spent fuel disposal

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US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (US NRC) charges for regulation

Typically, the plant capital expenses are depreciated over 30 to 40 years. Modifications are depreciated over the remaining life of the plant (usually taken as the end of the current license). The operating and maintenance costs and US DOE and US NRC charges are accounted for as an annual expense. Fuel costs are usually treated separately as a capital expense depreciated over a number of years.

Related pages and figures provided on the site are:

A comparison of coal vs. nuclear costs Comparison of US electricity costs by state Major electricity regional grid systems in the US

Base Materials Abundant

Uranium ore is used as the raw material to make the uranium fuel. Primary source countries are - United States, South Africa, Australia, Canada, Nigeria - with resources between 270 and 2400 thousand tons each. Other countries having uranium mineral resources with estimated resources of between 36 and 124 thousand tons each are - France, Argentina, India, Algeria, Gabon, Brazil. [R.A. Knief, Nuclear Energy Technology, Hemisphere, 1981]. Since the end of the Cold War, a number of former Soviet Bloc countries as Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan have entered the world market as suppliers.

Related figures from the Energy Information Administration's 1998 Uranium Industry Annual Report are:

1998 Utility Purchases based on Country of Origin Comparison of domestic and imported supplies of uranium fuel by US utilities during 1994-1998 Comparison of domestic and imported uranium in fuel assemblies loaded into US reactors during 1994-1998 Location of uranium supplies, mills, and plants in the US

The uranium ore must go through several steps before it can be placed in a reactor:

Mining to excavate or extract the ore Milling to produce U3O8 , which is also called yellowcake Conversion - a 2 step process to purify the yellowcake and produce uranium hexafluoride Enrichment of the uranium-235 portion from 0.7 % as found in nature to 3 to 5 %. Processes used are gaseous diffusion or gas centrifuge. These separate the heavier U-238 from the U-235. Formation of a ceramic uranium dioxide Cladding the fuel with zirconium alloy

Plutonium Byproduct of Reactor Operation

95 to 97% of the fuel in the reactor is uranium-238. Some of this uranium transforms into Plutonium-239 and Plutonium-241 - usually about 1000 kg form after a year of operation. At the end of the cycle (a year to 2 years, typically), very little uranium-235 is left and about 30% of the power produced by the reactor comes from the plutonium.

To some, the plutonium is viewed negatively as the stuff bombs can be made from. To others, plutonium is a resource we need to make use of. Based on DOE projections of fuel assemblies that will be discharged as spent fuel through the year 2030, there would be enough plutonium present in the U.S. spent fuel assemblies to operate 20 reactors for 40 years each. Plutonium-239 decays very slowly (half life is 24,110 years). Thus, this is a resource if the reprocessing option is selected in the future. It should also be pointed

Aligned to and Performance Tasks to Support High School Science out that some of the plutonium byproducts formed during the reactor operation, e.g. Pu-240, do reduce the effectiveness of plutonium as a bomb material by forcing more specialized separation of the Pu-239 isotope.

Countries that have civilian reprocessing facilities (operational or under construction) capable of separating plutonium are - France, India, Japan, United Kingdom, Russia as shown by the Nuclear Control Institute figure below.

Courtesy NCI

Low Quantities of Waste

The fuel assemblies remain in the reactor for 3 to 5 years. The waste, in the form of the radioactive fission products, remains inside the fuel. As noted above about 2000 kg are converted to waste after 1.5 years of operation. Currently, the fuel assemblies remain in cooling pools for about 10 to 15 years. After that time, they are being transferred to special casks for storage where air can be used to cooling. The reduction in radioactivity and thermal levels for the spent fuel are illustrated by the US DOE figures below.

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To extract the waste and plutonium from the fuel can result in the generation of liquid wastes since currently nitric acid is used to breakdown the cladding material and the ceramic into solution. The liquid and spent fuel wastes are very radioactive initially. However, these levels also drop as shown in the above figures.

Applications of Nuclear Energy other than Electricity Generation

Radioactive materials, produced in reactors, are used in diagnostic and therapeutic treatments in medicine, weld inspection (radiography), power sources in remote locations and space applications, and food irradiation.

Copyright © 1996-2011. The Virtual Nuclear Tourist. All rights reserved. Revised: Friday April 01, 2011

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Stimulus 6

Fatality Comparison Statistics

US Coal Mining 1931-1995 33,134

Oil / Gas Industry 1992-1995 719

Chemical Manufacturing 1992-1995 201

US Automible 1899-1995 2,903,036

Smoking per year 419,000

US Civil Aviation 1938-present +54,000

US Nuclear Power Historical 0

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Stimulus 7

Gil Scott-Heron's anti-nuclear song speaks to us across 40 years

Blogpost by Justin McKeating - 28 July, 2014 at 13:30

There aren't many songs about nuclear power, but a very fine one by Gil Scott-Heron shows us things never change.

As we've discussed many times on the Nuclear Reaction blog, one of the defining characteristics of the nuclear industry is its inability to learn lessons. By way of illustration, here's the mighty poet, musician and activist Gil Scott-Heron singing his 1977 song "We Almost Lost Detroit"… Scott-Heron was recalling, on his 1977 album Bridges, the partial fuel meltdown in 1966 at the Fermi 1 nuclear reactor about 50 kilometres from Detroit, in the US. The fuel melted because of a blockage that stopped coolant from reaching the reactor. Fermi 1 is now in what the US regulator calls a "deferred dismantling" mode and will at some point be "dismantled and the property decontaminated."

More than ten years after this chilling near miss, Scott-Heron wrote... And what would Karen Silkwood say if she was still alive? That when it comes to people's safety money wins out every time. Nearly 50 years later, that has been a defining feature of the nuclear industry's reaction to the Fukushima nuclear disaster. It's all about the bottom line. Don't frighten investors and shareholders. Fight measures that might reduce the risk to people but threaten profits. Profits before people.

The nuclear industry will tell you it is adapting and evolving, but in reality it never changes. Gil Scott-Heron knew that and we know that.

Sadly, Gil Scott-Heron died in May 2011, a mere three months after the ongoing Fukushima nuclear disaster began.

We don't need to imagine what he would have thought about the catastrophe and the betrayal of the people who lost their homes and everything they held dear in the aftermath. His words ring down the years.

Justin McKeating is a nuclear blogger for Greenpeace International, based in the UK.

Lyrics to Gil Scott-Heron’s song, “We Almost Lost Detroit” "We Almost Lost Detroit"

It stands out on a highway like a creature from another time. It inspires the babies' questions, "What's that?" For their mothers as they ride. But no one stopped to think about the babies or how they would survive, and we almost lost Detroit this time. How would we ever get over losing our minds? Just thirty miles from Detroit

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stands a giant power station. It ticks each night as the city sleeps seconds from annihilation. But no one stopped to think about the people or how they would survive, and we almost lost Detroit this time. How would we ever get over over losing our minds? The sheriff of Monroe county had, sure enough disasters on his mind, and what would Karen Silkwood say if she was still alive?

That when it comes to people's safety money wins out every time. and we almost lost Detroit this time, this time. How would we ever get over over losing our minds? You see, we almost lost Detroit that time. Almost lost Detroit that time. And how would we ever get over... Cause odds are, we gonna lose somewhere, one time. Odds are we gonna lose somewhere sometime. And how would we ever get over losing our minds? And how would we ever get over losing our minds? Didn't they, didn't they decide? Almost lost Detroit that time. Damn near totally destroyed, one time. Didn't all of the world know? Say didn't you know? Didn't all of the world know? Say didn't you know? We almost lost Detroit...

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Stimulus 8

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Stimulus 10 About Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging

What are molecular imaging and nuclear medicine? Molecular imaging is a type of medical imaging that provides detailed pictures of what is happening inside the body at the molecular and cellular level. Where other diagnostic imaging procedures—such as x- rays, computed tomography (CT) and ultrasound—offer pictures of physical structure, molecular imaging allows physicians to see how the body is functioning and to measure its chemical and biological processes.

Molecular imaging includes the field of nuclear medicine, which uses very small amounts of radioactive materials (radiopharmaceuticals) to diagnose and treat disease. In nuclear medicine imaging, the radiopharmaceuticals are detected by special types of cameras that work with computers to provide very precise pictures of the area of the body being imaged. Nuclear medicine can also be used to treat certain types of cancer and other diseases.

Molecular imaging offers unique insights into the human body that enable physicians to personalize patient care. In terms of diagnosis, molecular imaging is able to: provide information that is unattainable with other imaging technologies or that would require more invasive procedures such as biopsy or surgery identify disease in its earliest stages and determine the exact location of a tumor, often before symptoms occur or abnormalities can be detected with other diagnostic tests

How do they help patients? As a tool for evaluating and managing the care of patients, molecular imaging studies help physicians: determine the extent or severity of the disease, including whether it has spread elsewhere in the body select the most effective therapy based on the unique biologic characteristics of the patient and the molecular properties of a tumor or other disease determine a patient’s response to specific drugs accurately assess the effectiveness of a treatment regimen adapt treatment plans quickly in response to changes in cellular activity assess disease progression identify recurrence of disease and help manage ongoing care

When are they used? Molecular imaging procedures—which are noninvasive, safe and painless—are used to diagnose and manage the treatment of cancer, heart disease, brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, gastrointestinal disorders, lung disorders, bone disorders, kidney and thyroid disorders, and more.

SNMMI offers fact sheets that explain how nuclear medicine and molecular imaging can help diagnose and/or treat a wide range of diseases.

View SNMMI Fact Sheets

(The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), headquartered in Reston, Va., is a nonprofit scientific and professional organization that promotes the science, technology and practical application of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging. )

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Notes to Teachers for Implementation There are a lot of sources presented in a variety of ways. Some ways to make this more manageable could be to set up stations for students to rotate through, allow students to conduct the research collaboratively in more of a jigsaw fashion, or simply reduce the number of sources. The text sources that have been selected are fairly short in an effort to give students enough time to work through all of the stimuli. The longest text for them to read is the online textbook chapter.

Scaffolding The most likely issue with implementing this lesson, especially at the beginning of the year, will be student’s time management during the collaborative group work and research portions of the assignment. It may help to give all students a more detailed schedule of their tasks and time for each.

Enrichment See adjustments for Honors/IB/AP students.

Alternative Uses See “One more thing” above. Some portions of this could be used to help enhance discussions in a history class about nuclear war or in psychology when discussing learning and knowledge.

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